X5 Gas Pedal Stuck on I95

[culto]

Anybody here about this story:

https://wsvn.com/news/local/florida-...ets-stuck/amp/

[RichardR0404]

This guy is plain stupid or something....
1. You can put your car in N when your foot is all the way down to the floor(My wife's elbow did that and I do floor my car all the time so I do know that is possible)
2. Hold the start button for some where around 5 second will power the whole car off.
3. Not apply the emergency brake at 100mph???? X5 use all 4 wheel brake as emergency brake/parking brake, was attempted to do a hand brake turn on ice in a cul-de-sac and failed.
4. Floor mounted accelerator won't stuck lol

This guy is nuts.

[NoQuarter]

Sounds too much like BS to me.

[yco]

more likely his foot stuck on the pedal.. and rationally all X5's can go over 100 mph easily.. this guy probably accidently turned on cruise control..

[socale39]

Guys, the X5 he was driving was an E53 X5. Simple solution would be to turn ignition off.

[Qsilver7]

I was hoping there'd be a follow up to this story because something is really fishy.

If you hear the 911 call...the operator clearly asks him if he's tried to put the car in neutral...and he says..."m'am, I'm in a BMW and if I do that...if I slam it over...it will drop down into a lower gear"..."and I could spin out".

Well, that not true because his e53 X5 would have the STEPTRONIC (PRND S/M) gearshift lever...if he was in D (drive) or even in the S (sport) or M (manual) shift gates...if he moved the gearshift lever into N (neutral)...the transmission WOULD NOT downshift. In fact, if he was in SPORT mode and moved it back to "D"...more than likely the transmission was in 5th gear so moving to D would upshift into 6th gear and the engine RPM would have dropped.

Secondly (as mentioned above), he could have turned the ignition to position 2 or 1 and it would have killed the engine...but left him with steering capability. He wouldn't be able to turn the ignition completely off to the point the the steering wheel would LOCK because that can only occur when the transmission is in PARK.

Third, the car's brakes (if in normal working order) should be able to overcome the accelerator pedal...and I believe BMW chimed in at the end of the story and mentioned that this is part of the vehicles engineering design...if you press & hold the brakes while accelerating...the car will stop.

So I call

[RichardR0404]

Originally Posted by Qsilver7

I was hoping there'd be a follow up to this story because something is really fishy.

If you hear the 911 call...the operator clearly asks him if he's tried to put the car in neutral...and he says..."m'am, I'm in a BMW and if I do that...if I slam it over...it will drop down into a lower gear"..."and I could spin out".

Well, that not true because his e53 X5 would have the STEPTRONIC (PRND S/M) gearshift lever...if he was in D (drive) or even in the S (sport) or M (manual) shift gates...if he moved the gearshift lever into N (neutral)...the transmission WOULD NOT downshift. In fact, if he was in SPORT mode and moved it back to "D"...more than likely the transmission was in 5th gear so moving to D would upshift into 6th gear and the engine RPM would have dropped.

Secondly (as mentioned above), he could have turned the ignition to position 2 or 1 and it would have killed the engine...but left him with steering capability. He wouldn't be able to turn the ignition completely off to the point the the steering wheel would LOCK because that can only occur when the transmission is in PARK.

Third, the car's brakes (if in normal working order) should be able to overcome the accelerator pedal...and I believe BMW chimed in at the end of the story and mentioned that this is part of the vehicles engineering design...if you press & hold the brakes while accelerating...the car will stop.

So I call

Isn’t E53 has the old E90 style shifter? The one like normal cars? You can just push it forward and there is no reason for it to stuck in drive. Even for my E70’s fancy I can’t even figure out the first 20 minutes I get in my car I can place it in neutral just by pushing it forward. I’m not sure if they can turn the car off since not everyone have the balls to long press the start stop button and yank the key out of there.

[Qsilver7]

Originally Posted by RichardR0404

Isn’t E53 has the old E90 style shifter? The one like normal cars? You can just push it forward and there is no reason for it to stuck in drive. Even for my E70’s fancy I can’t even figure out the first 20 minutes I get in my car I can place it in neutral just by pushing it forward. I’m not sure if they can turn the car off since not everyone have the balls to long press the start stop button and yank the key out of there.

Yes, the e70 has the "old style" gear shift lever that is actually connected to a mechanical bowden cable. And yes...if he was in D...all he needed to do is push the lever up into N...and you don't even have to press the brake to go from D to N...all it takes is a push.

{E53 X5 gear shift lever}

[heatmizr]

Odds are this guy was not that familiar with the detailed workings of his vehicle. Combine not knowing what to do (totally unprepared) with likely panic from being on a busy highway at that speed.. But I would be trying ALL KINDS of things before trying to make a phone call for help!
There are all kinds of people.... wow.

HAVE you guys noticed the large percentage of auto accident articles that mention the BRAND of vehicle ONLY if its a BMW?? I have been astounded at this. Start paying attention. If not a BMW, they typically just say SUV/CAR/TRUCK whatever. See how many you find that mention any other brand, its uncanny.
Yes they mention Teslas/Jeeps/others with specific issues, but in accidents, and driver behavior stories, we get some really bad press. An inordinate amount IMO. Or else we all really are jerks on the road!

[Qsilver7]

Originally Posted by heatmizr

HAVE you guys noticed the large percentage of auto accident articles that mention the BRAND of vehicle ONLY if its a BMW?? I have been astounded at this. Start paying attention. If not a BMW, they typically just say SUV/CAR/TRUCK whatever. See how many you find that mention any other brand, its uncanny.

Yes...I agree. It is an odd human characteristic in that some cases the "inanimate object" seems to take on a "life" and will take center stage over the "human" actor in the scenario.

If a BMW X5 is involved in an accident...the news report will 99% of the time say "BMW runs over man" or "BMW slams through wall of drug store" etc. But if it was a Buick Enclave or Dodge Caravan...the headline would read "elderly driver crashes through wall of drug store"...or "man on sidewalk was run-over by distracted driver".

[omgboost]

Here's an article with some more detail and video from police car who used the spike strip.

BMW, in a statement released to ABC News, called the scenario “implausible.” The car company echoed the dispatcher’s suggested solutions on how to stop the vehicle and added that the car’s computer and floor design should not have allowed for a stuck pedal in the first place.

“All BMW vehicles, including the 2003 X5 described in this incident, employ an electronic accelerator pedal which uses software logic to override the accelerator whenever the brake pedal is pressed while driving. This fail-safe software means that if the vehicle detects that both pedals are depressed, the on-board electronics will reduce engine power so that the driver may stop safely. … We would be happy to work with the Florida State Police to investigate the cause of this incident,” BMW said.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/stat...#storylink=cpy

[Naz24]

Originally Posted by omgboost

Here's an article with some more detail and video from police car who used the spike strip.

BMW, in a statement released to ABC News, called the scenario “implausible.” The car company echoed the dispatcher’s suggested solutions on how to stop the vehicle and added that the car’s computer and floor design should not have allowed for a stuck pedal in the first place.

“All BMW vehicles, including the 2003 X5 described in this incident, employ an electronic accelerator pedal which uses software logic to override the accelerator whenever the brake pedal is pressed while driving. This fail-safe software means that if the vehicle detects that both pedals are depressed, the on-board electronics will reduce engine power so that the driver may stop safely. … We would be happy to work with the Florida State Police to investigate the cause of this incident,” BMW said.



Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/stat...#storylink=cpy

BMW: "Drops mic"

[Qsilver7]

Originally Posted by heatmizr

HAVE you guys noticed the large percentage of auto accident articles that mention the BRAND of vehicle ONLY if its a BMW?? I have been astounded at this. Start paying attention. If not a BMW, they typically just say SUV/CAR/TRUCK whatever. See how many you find that mention any other brand, its uncanny.

Originally Posted by Qsilver7

... It is an odd human characteristic in that some cases the "inanimate object" seems to take on a "life" and will take center stage over the "human" actor in the scenario. ...

Hah! Just read one. In actuality...the driver loses control and flips his X5M...but the story is written only stating that the BMW slid & crashed and thankfully the passengers (which obviously included the driver, too) walked away unharmed:

"It is winter time and people are going out for some skiing and snowboarding. Icy roads can make the route to the destination tricky. Even with four-wheel drive and winter tyres.

The BMW X5M slid away, crashed against the guardrail and flipped upside down. The passengers didn’t get hurt at all. The only problem they experienced was releasing their seatbelt and leaving the car!"

[socale39]

It can’t be....you guys suspect the media is deceiving us?

[omgboost]

I mean, it is the ultimate driving machine. Why would it slide and turn over like that? I would expect other cars to do that, but not BMWs!

[RichardR0404]

Originally Posted by omgboost

I mean, it is the ultimate driving machine. Why would it slide and turn over like that? I would expect other cars to do that, but not BMWs!

I always thought my X5 handles well. Until I drove a 718 GTS

[heatmizr]

I wasn't exactly saying the BMW would become animated in the articles, just saying that if a driver crashes a BMW, its always mentioned. If its a Chevy or xxx, usually no mention of the make.